I had to read the book Crash by Jerry Spinelli to teach the book to a small group of 7th grade students. Jerry Spinelli is a Newbery Award winner for Maniac Magee, a book I'm sure you've heard of. But this book, Crash, which won a few respectable book awards is just awful!
The book is about a boy named Crash, a nickname he received after he "crashed tackled" into his cousin when he received a new football helmet for Christmas. Crash torments his neighbor, Penn Ward - a nerdy vegetarian Quaker who doesn't believe in violence, gets his clothes from a thirft shop, and has a pet turtle who rides around in Penn's only toy, a wooden train or something. Throughout most of the book, Crash is boasting about his football abilities and when he's not doing that, he ridicules Penn Ward while feeling entitled to dance/befriend the prettiest girl in school to the point at which he resorts to force to get her attention. UGH!
The supposed "redeeming" point for Crash is when he makes a connection between his ailing grandfather and Penn's great-grandfather who wants nothing more than to see Penn run at the Penn Relays. Crash, who is faster than Penn, purposely loses a qualifying race to Penn so that Penn can go to the Penn Relays. Great, so for 120 pages, Crash is a huge, egotistical, ignorant ***hole and the reader is supposed to feel happy that he's changed for the remaining 30 pages. NO. I hate this character with a passion. I hate what he stands for and I hate how I'm supposed to believe this character has really changed! Please...it was nice that he lost the race, but there's no way in hell that these guys are going to be friends. Crash will continue to harass Penn for being a Quaker and a vegetarian. And if he is nice to Penn, it's only for the sake of keeping the prettiest girl in school as his girlfriend. How shallow.
I felt this book almost taught intolerance and selfishness to my young reader's minds. For example, Crash criticizes Penn for being Quaker and not believing in violence of any sort. He takes advantage of the poor guy, soaking him with a watergun and Penn just stands there and takes it. During the literature circle discussions that occurred after reading the first 8 chapters, one of my students exclaimed, "Penn deserved it. We live in a violent world! Learn to live with it!" What a good way to teach kids religious tolerance let alone peace!
I give this book a 3/10. It's a complex story and a fast read, but it has a lot of bad blood that's hard to overlook.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
A Niche of Time To Read
It's been a while since I've posted here, mainly because I haven't been reading anything substantial. I got a new job in January and poof, my free time to read disappeared. But I have finished one book in the past 2 days due to having to teach it to a couple of 6th grade students:
Holes by Louis Sachar is a great read! It reminded me of a more reader-friendly Lord of the Flies, except there's adults involved and upheld rules. The reason why it reminds me of Lord of the Flies is because it's about a group of boys removed from civilization. There's many books out there that examine a microcosm of the greater world, removing people from civilization and watching what they do. It certainly makes it an easier book to write! The 6th grade class that read it seemed to enjoy it, except for a few students. Well, you can't please everyone!
I'll give it a 9/10. I'm deducting a point because the whole great-great-great grandfather and great-great grandfather and all the lineage was too hard for me to follow. I couldn't figure out who was who without having to flip back and so, of course, the ending for me required even more research. Which Stanley Yelnats does the suitcase belong to? How is he related to the little boy, also named Stanley Yelnats?
My current read, a book I can only read at home, is The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Dawkins is articulate, bold, and reasonable in his arguments against a supernatural god. I was not impressed with his beginning chapter on Einstein's religious beliefs. Okay, so people misconstrued Einstein's religious beliefs - who cares? Perhaps that chapter is more for the religious scientist reader. For someone like me, it's out of place. One of my favorite sections so far is "Undeserved Respect."
Unfortunately, I have some things I need to get done so I'll have to write about it later.
Holes by Louis Sachar is a great read! It reminded me of a more reader-friendly Lord of the Flies, except there's adults involved and upheld rules. The reason why it reminds me of Lord of the Flies is because it's about a group of boys removed from civilization. There's many books out there that examine a microcosm of the greater world, removing people from civilization and watching what they do. It certainly makes it an easier book to write! The 6th grade class that read it seemed to enjoy it, except for a few students. Well, you can't please everyone!
I'll give it a 9/10. I'm deducting a point because the whole great-great-great grandfather and great-great grandfather and all the lineage was too hard for me to follow. I couldn't figure out who was who without having to flip back and so, of course, the ending for me required even more research. Which Stanley Yelnats does the suitcase belong to? How is he related to the little boy, also named Stanley Yelnats?
My current read, a book I can only read at home, is The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Dawkins is articulate, bold, and reasonable in his arguments against a supernatural god. I was not impressed with his beginning chapter on Einstein's religious beliefs. Okay, so people misconstrued Einstein's religious beliefs - who cares? Perhaps that chapter is more for the religious scientist reader. For someone like me, it's out of place. One of my favorite sections so far is "Undeserved Respect."
Unfortunately, I have some things I need to get done so I'll have to write about it later.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Nineteen Minutes
So, I had to give up my Elizabeth I and Marilyn Monroe biographies. I walked out of the library with 1 new book - Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. This book was recommended to me by one of my colleagues, a 5th grade English teacher. It's about a school shooting. As scary as they are, there's something alluring about reading a fictional story about one. I'm 100 pages in and I'm enjoying it. We'll see how the other 300 pages go :-)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
A Handmaid's Tale
I finished this novel just a few minutes ago. I thought I wasn't going to finish it tonight, but then I ended up reading for a solid 2 hours. I just kept looking forward and saying, "Oh, I only have another 10 pages. I can do this..." I didn't realize that the Historical Background on A Handmaid's Tale was actually part of the story. I thought it was going to be something about Margaret Atwood researched something to write the book, but then I realized - wow, this part is important! It basically explains what exactly was going on. Poorly. After such a detailed, interesting, breeze of a novel, I was hoping for some explanation of chronology, the wars, what religion had to do with everything.....alas, no luck! But it wasn't as disappointing as Teacher Man. I'm not as let down since I didn't really know what to expect for an ending. All "Historical Background" aside, I was satisfied. I can make up a nice, neat little ending. The Black Van is part of the underground. Offred manages to escape somewhere else, somewhere better. I liked that Serena Joy and the Commander were scared at the end. I liked that Nick turned out to be a good guy...so far as we know. (But working for the Eyes! My goodness!)
I'd rate this book 9/10.
(I'll be rating books I finish from now on.)
I'd rate this book 9/10.
(I'll be rating books I finish from now on.)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Too Many Books, Strangely Too Little Time
While on vacation, I picked up more books than I could read. This was surprising considering all the time sitting in the airport, sitting in the airplane, sitting in the hotel room, sitting sitting sitting waiting waiting waiting. My biggest obstacle: the tv. The TV screams, "Look at me! Listen to me! Me me me!" and it makes it really hard to read. I suppose books and TV have been at odds with one another ever since TV was born.
Nonetheless, I finished one book...and it wasn't even a book I completely enjoyed. It was Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. When I was in grad school, a fellow student raved about this book. The professor agreed - it was a wonderful book about teaching. And as I read it, it seemed to be more about Frank McCourt's personal life rather than teaching. He shared a few stories about his students, but moreso about his personal life stories he shared with his students. Okay, they were amusing, but as a reader, I expected to read about teaching, not a personal life autobiography of sorts. I guess that's why I didn't enjoy it. The disappointment overshadowed what was probably a good book.
I'm currently reading A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It's been on my "MUST READ" list for at least 2-3 years. I love dystopian novels - 1984, Fahrenheit 451 - I could read them all! As soon as I actually had some quality time to read the book, sitting in a hotel bed in Vancouver with my husband (who's reading Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson), I whizzed through 50 pages in less than an hour. I have to return the book in 3 days. I hope I'll find the time to read the rest before I have to return (or renew) it.
I still have 2 books left and both have been renewed once. One is a biography of Elizabeth I and the other is a biography of Marilyn Monroe. These are lengthy books, requiring time and attention to detail. I guess I'll renew them again...as long as I can renew them to read them. I don't want to give them back and then forget that I wanted to read them. Or *gasp* someone else take them out for weeks at a time so that it won't be there when I'm finally ready.
What can I say - I'm a greedy reader and library user.
Nonetheless, I finished one book...and it wasn't even a book I completely enjoyed. It was Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. When I was in grad school, a fellow student raved about this book. The professor agreed - it was a wonderful book about teaching. And as I read it, it seemed to be more about Frank McCourt's personal life rather than teaching. He shared a few stories about his students, but moreso about his personal life stories he shared with his students. Okay, they were amusing, but as a reader, I expected to read about teaching, not a personal life autobiography of sorts. I guess that's why I didn't enjoy it. The disappointment overshadowed what was probably a good book.
I'm currently reading A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It's been on my "MUST READ" list for at least 2-3 years. I love dystopian novels - 1984, Fahrenheit 451 - I could read them all! As soon as I actually had some quality time to read the book, sitting in a hotel bed in Vancouver with my husband (who's reading Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson), I whizzed through 50 pages in less than an hour. I have to return the book in 3 days. I hope I'll find the time to read the rest before I have to return (or renew) it.
I still have 2 books left and both have been renewed once. One is a biography of Elizabeth I and the other is a biography of Marilyn Monroe. These are lengthy books, requiring time and attention to detail. I guess I'll renew them again...as long as I can renew them to read them. I don't want to give them back and then forget that I wanted to read them. Or *gasp* someone else take them out for weeks at a time so that it won't be there when I'm finally ready.
What can I say - I'm a greedy reader and library user.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Right Down To The Good Stuff
Well, 3 days ago, I returned both Philippa Gregory books, The Constant Princess and The Virgin's Lover. I didn't like TCP and I after attempting to take in 150 pages of TVL, there was something still to be desired. Neither of these books had the flare of The Other Boleyn Girl, with all the intricate weaving of plot that, as a reader, made me continue reading. With TVL, I expected something to happen, something sinister, but there was no mystery, no complexity, nothing...even after getting through a quarter of the novel.
My litmus test for books is now whether I can manage to read 40 pages in a day. I've found that if I can't do that, I must not be interested in the book and should just stop reading it, because it's more a chore to read than pleasure.
So, back to the library I went and I came out with not one, not two, but 5 books. My closest library is under construction and so until now, I hadn't discovered their huge biography section. This section is a wealth of knowledge and once I saw books on Marilyn Monroe, Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII, and Queen Elizabeth I, I just had to have them all! My college professors always knew so much thanks to these kinds of books, ones that paint an interesting portrait of a life long ago.
Currently, I am reading a fabulous book: The Last Days of King Henry VIII: Conspiracy, Treason and Heresy at the Court of the Dying Tyrant. I'm absolutely amazed at everything that went on during his reign. With all the prim and proper churchie-ness that went on, it must have been earthshattering to see a king have six wives, behead/burn hundreds of thousands of people, reform the church by breaking away from the Pope, tax the people to fund what I'd consider "pissing contests" with France and Scotland, all the while Henry VIII is grotesquely fat and morbidly ill.
Reading about Henry VIII reminds me so much of George W. Bush. His cabinet was like Henry VIII's Privy Council. Get in with them to be rewarded with contracts, land, money, etc. Ridiculous pissing contest wars certainly ring a bell - hello Iraq. Okay, we don't behead anyone or burn anyone at the stake anymore. Now we have fancy places like Gitmo and fun little things called rendition. We may have elected our modern day "Privy Council" representatives, but it's still the same old bullshit after 500 years!
My litmus test for books is now whether I can manage to read 40 pages in a day. I've found that if I can't do that, I must not be interested in the book and should just stop reading it, because it's more a chore to read than pleasure.
So, back to the library I went and I came out with not one, not two, but 5 books. My closest library is under construction and so until now, I hadn't discovered their huge biography section. This section is a wealth of knowledge and once I saw books on Marilyn Monroe, Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII, and Queen Elizabeth I, I just had to have them all! My college professors always knew so much thanks to these kinds of books, ones that paint an interesting portrait of a life long ago.
Currently, I am reading a fabulous book: The Last Days of King Henry VIII: Conspiracy, Treason and Heresy at the Court of the Dying Tyrant. I'm absolutely amazed at everything that went on during his reign. With all the prim and proper churchie-ness that went on, it must have been earthshattering to see a king have six wives, behead/burn hundreds of thousands of people, reform the church by breaking away from the Pope, tax the people to fund what I'd consider "pissing contests" with France and Scotland, all the while Henry VIII is grotesquely fat and morbidly ill.
Reading about Henry VIII reminds me so much of George W. Bush. His cabinet was like Henry VIII's Privy Council. Get in with them to be rewarded with contracts, land, money, etc. Ridiculous pissing contest wars certainly ring a bell - hello Iraq. Okay, we don't behead anyone or burn anyone at the stake anymore. Now we have fancy places like Gitmo and fun little things called rendition. We may have elected our modern day "Privy Council" representatives, but it's still the same old bullshit after 500 years!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Other Boleyn Girl - The Movie!
So, I finished The Other Boleyn Girl about 2 weeks ago. I loved it! I'm absolutely fascinated by Henry VIII, not to mention the cunning and manipulative nature of Anne Boleyn. The book embellishes on the actual events, but the truth is that somehow, Anne Boleyn convinced Henry VIII to divorce his legally bound wife and queen by basically denouncing the Pope and Catholic Church! It's sort of like Monica Lewinsky going up to Bill Clinton (while he was in office) and saying, "Hey, divorce Hillary and make me your new First Lady!"
Tonight, I watched The Other Boleyn Girl...the movie, with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. The costumes were beautiful. I would have loved to live during that time period - the headdresses, the long sweeping dresses...it's right up my alley. But the plot was nowhere near the complexity of the book. I think movie producers shouldn't bother making a movie if it doesn't accurately capture the plot of the book. The movie made Mary Boleyn's marriage to William Stafford a footnote, even though their relationship takes up a good 200 pages of the novel. They skipped the birth of Mary's first child, Catherine, and went straight to her second child, aptly named Henry. They didn't broaden the depth of Anne's character by showing how she manipulated Henry VIII to send Queen Katherine of Aragon out of the castles nor shown that she might have had a hand in killing high-ranking members of the court and church to get herself the title of Queen. And when she was Queen, they didn't show what a bitch she was to those around her, specifically Mary. The characters were undeveloped, the plot wanting, and the pieces they added that never happened seemed out of step and half-assed.
I took out two more of Philippa Gregory's novels - The Constant Princess and The Virgin Queen. I put down TCP because after 75 pages, I just couldn't get into it. The book didn't have the energy and fluidity that The Other Boleyn Girl possessed. However, The Virgin Queen is pretty good. I'm not sure where I stand on it yet. I'm still trying to figure out some of the lineage of the time. There's too many Mary's and Wikipedia is ZERO HELP in figuring out who's who. I know Henry VII had a daughter named Mary....then Henry VIII had Bloody Mary...then there's Mary Queen of Scots, daughter of Mary of Guise and James V of Scotland....it's so crazy. But the book references Princess Mary and I have no idea which Mary it's referring to. They really need to come up with more original names!
On a tangent, I'm really proud of myself this year. I've read a considerable amount of books compared to last year. In 2008, I have read the following -
1. The Contender by Robert Lipsyte.
2. Teenagers Preparing For the Real World
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
4. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
5. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Wow...I need to read more!
Tonight, I watched The Other Boleyn Girl...the movie, with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. The costumes were beautiful. I would have loved to live during that time period - the headdresses, the long sweeping dresses...it's right up my alley. But the plot was nowhere near the complexity of the book. I think movie producers shouldn't bother making a movie if it doesn't accurately capture the plot of the book. The movie made Mary Boleyn's marriage to William Stafford a footnote, even though their relationship takes up a good 200 pages of the novel. They skipped the birth of Mary's first child, Catherine, and went straight to her second child, aptly named Henry. They didn't broaden the depth of Anne's character by showing how she manipulated Henry VIII to send Queen Katherine of Aragon out of the castles nor shown that she might have had a hand in killing high-ranking members of the court and church to get herself the title of Queen. And when she was Queen, they didn't show what a bitch she was to those around her, specifically Mary. The characters were undeveloped, the plot wanting, and the pieces they added that never happened seemed out of step and half-assed.
I took out two more of Philippa Gregory's novels - The Constant Princess and The Virgin Queen. I put down TCP because after 75 pages, I just couldn't get into it. The book didn't have the energy and fluidity that The Other Boleyn Girl possessed. However, The Virgin Queen is pretty good. I'm not sure where I stand on it yet. I'm still trying to figure out some of the lineage of the time. There's too many Mary's and Wikipedia is ZERO HELP in figuring out who's who. I know Henry VII had a daughter named Mary....then Henry VIII had Bloody Mary...then there's Mary Queen of Scots, daughter of Mary of Guise and James V of Scotland....it's so crazy. But the book references Princess Mary and I have no idea which Mary it's referring to. They really need to come up with more original names!
On a tangent, I'm really proud of myself this year. I've read a considerable amount of books compared to last year. In 2008, I have read the following -
1. The Contender by Robert Lipsyte.
2. Teenagers Preparing For the Real World
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
4. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
5. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Wow...I need to read more!
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